Baked Jasmine Rice with Chicken and Black Beans

I bought a rotisserie chicken from Safeway yesterday, it was on sale for $5. I made a sandwich which was delicious and then shredded the rest of the chicken. I made chicken stock out of the chicken bones which yielded 12 cups of stock. Then I made the following the recipe. Note - I still have almost a cup chicken left that I'm going to put in my famous "big" salad tomorrow for lunch. So this is really what is called "stretching your dollar".

Baked Jasmine Ric with Chicken and Black Beans

3/4 cup yellow onion chopped
1 garlic glove minced
1/2 chili pepper chopped (optional)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
ground pepper
1/2 cup black beans
1 1/2 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken (white and dark meat)
3/4 c. jasmine rice
2 cups chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350.
Heat olive oil over medium. Saute onion, garlic and peppers for 5 minutes, add spices, salt and pepper. Add black beans and chicken, stir until combined. Lower heat Do not overcook. Stir constantly about 3 minutes. Put into 8 x 8 glass casserole dish. pour rice over chicken mixture. Pour chicken broth over entire dish. Make sure rice is covered throughout.
Cover with aluminum foil tightly. Bake in oven for 1 hour. Serve hot.
Enjoy!

Spicy Veggie Tofu Soft Tacos

I was very absent in May so I will make up for it in June. Here is a great tofu recipe and very healthy. When I get back from Sayulita, Mexico next week, I will be blogging my face off about Mexico food and hopefully lots of different spices and flavors I have yet to learn.

These are great, quick and healthy. I love cooking new things that combine zucchini and tofu that are not your typical stir fry. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4″ slices (about 2 cups)
1 cups sliced mushrooms (I used button, whatever you have on hand is great)
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, cut into 1/4″ strips
1 tsp. minced garlic
6-oz. can of tomato paste or 6 oz. from cooked can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
2 tsp. chili powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce (or to taste)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin or 1/4 tsp cumin seed
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
1 pkg. 12 oz Tofu Extra Firm, cut into 1/2″ cubes (about 2 cups)
3 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2″ cubes (about 1 cup) or 1/2 can tomatoes from puree
10 soft taco wheat tortillas

Optional: avocado slices for garnish.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Heat olive oil in large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender but not browned, about 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, combine tomato paste (or cooked tomato puree), water, chili powder, hot pepper sauce, cumin and pepper in a small bowl; add the mixture to the skillet.
5. Gently stir in the tofu cubes and plum tomatoes. Reduce heat to low; cover and heat through, about 5 minutes.
6. To serve, spoon about 1/2 cup of mixture into each of the heated tortillas.